Anekdoten - Vemod (2008)

Anekdoten's debut shows them a little rougher, more Gothic in tone, and less tonally subtle than in later years, but compelling nonetheless. From the crashing bass and Mellotron in the opening track "Karelia," it's clear that King Crimson reigns over their work -- not to mention that it features riffs nicked from Crimson's "Easy Money." "Wheel" also has the dissonance and horns of the Lizard album. But they are creating something unique here, as the gentle instrumental "Longing" attests. While Anekdoten hadn't quite reached its potential yet -- "Where Solitude Remains" still shows Liljestrom's vocals to be a little too precise, and not as pleasingly smoky as in "Nucleus" -- this first album shows a band of great promise.